Multiple pick hammer



Jan. 22, 1957 s, MQLNAR I 2,778,256

MULTIPLE PICK HAMMER Filed Feb. 25. 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United StatesPatent MULTIPLE PICK HAMMER Albert S. Molnar, Valley Stream, N. Y.

Application February 23, 1955, Serial No. 490,081

1 Claim. (Cl. 81-15) This invention relates to the art of metal workingtools and particularly concerns a novel hammer useful in shaping sheetmetal structures.

The invention has particular utility in straightening or restoringcontours to sheet metal bodies of automobiles, trucks, buses and thelike.

It is therefore a principal object to provide a hammer for shaping sheetmetal structures.

It is a further object to provide a tool usable in a closely confinedspace to straighten or shape the contours of a vehicle body structure asdesired.

It is a further object to provide a hammer with a multiple pick faceandmassive head adapted to shape a sheet metal structure without damagingthe metal.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken together with the drawingwherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hammer embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front View of the face of the hammer.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 33 of Fig. l.

The hammer shown in the drawing consisting of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 includesa massive hammer head and a relatively light wood handle 11. The handleis wedged at one end into a recess 12 in the hammer head. Head 10 ispreferably formed of a one-piece hardened steel member which is dropforged to produce the toughness and ruggedness required in a tool ofthis character. The head is generally cylindrical but tapers somewhatfrom the central circumference C to faces 13, 13. Its diameter is aboutone and one half inches at the center line C and is substantially aslong as its axial length. The front face 13 of the head has a uniformgenerally spherical convex curvature and is about one and one quarterinches in diameter. Ten truncated conical pick elements 14are disposeduniformly around the perimeter P of the face. In the forwardly extendingcentral portion of the face 13 are five pick elements 15. A pick element16 is disposed at the center of the face 13 and protrudes forwardlybeyond all the surrounding picks. The pick elements are aligned onspherical radii R with alternate pick elements 14 and with the centralelement 16. The length of each pick element is substantiallythree-sixteenths of an inch, and the centers of the apical faces 17 ofthe several pick elements have a spacing of substantially 0.25 of aninch. The apical faces 17 of all pick elements are disposed parallel toeach other with pick elements 14 and 15 coplanar in their respectiveplanes. The axes A of the conical pick elements are all disposedparallel to each other so that each conical pick element 14 and 15 istruncated obliquely at the base where it joins the face 13. Thisstructure and disposition of the several pick elements are important.Since all faces 17 are parallel and face forward, a forwardly facingblow of the hammer on a metal sheet is first struck by pick element 16.Then the blow is distributed among five pick elements 15. The ten pickelements 14 do not contact Patented Jan. 22, 1957 the metal sheet untilthe sheet has been bent beyond pick element 15. When contact with pickelements 14 is made the force of the blow is distributed among tenelements. These pick elements 15, 16 serve initially to knock out dentswhile pick elements 14 prevent undesired stretching of the metal becauseten times as much force is required to bend the metal sheet the samedistance when pick elements 14 are contacted as when pick element 16 iscontacted. Contact with pick elements 15 requires five times the forceas for pick element 16 and one half the force for pick elements 14. Thiscontrolled application of force prevents undesired stretching of themetal sheet as above mentioned. Furthermore since the several pickelements are disposed on a curved face 13, a picking type blow is struckno matter what the angle of incidence of the blow. A marked reduction inpicking time is thus accomplished in sheet metal work by use of thepresent picking hammer embodying the invention.

The parallel arrangement of the axes of the pick elements and thetapered shape of head 10 are important in facilitating the forgingoperation by which the hammer is fabricated. If the axes were disposedas radii of a sphere, it would not be possible to release the hammerfrom the recessed forging die. Since the pick elements are all conicaland their axes are parallel, and since the head of the hammer taperstoward its ends, said head together with its conical pick elementsreleases readily from the forging dies.

The head of the hammer is balanced, with its compactly formed massivehead and long wood handle to require less swinging space to driveeffective blows. Thus in difficult working places such as closedfenders, door panels, hoods, shells, turret tops and the like the hammeris used with case. In very tight places the smooth contoured head may beheld in the palm of the hand and very effective blows can be strucktherewith.

Even those comparatively unskilled in performing picking operations onsheet metal structures are enabled to accomplish satisfactory workbecause of the ready adaptability of the present pick hammer to alimitless variety of picking situations.

Although a single preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that manychanges are possible without departing from the spirit of the inventionas defined by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim: e

A multiple pick hammer for shaping sheet metal, comprising a generallycylindrical steel head and a wooden handle attached thereto, one face ofsaid head being convexly curved throughout and carrying a plurality ofconical pick elements uniformily spaced on said convex face on acircular line along its perimeter, a second group of conical pickelements uniformly spaced on a circular line spaced inwardly from thefirst mentioned circular line, and a single conical pick elementdisposed at the center of said second mentioned circular line, all ofsaid pick elements having axes disposed parallel to each other and beingof uniform length so that the free ends of all of said pick elements areso disposed as to present a convex pick-formed striking face on saidhead.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS128,020 Conklin June 18, 1872 356,299 Alexander Jan. 18, 1877 624,961Muller May 16, 1899 FOREIGN PATENTS 44,414 Denmark July 27, 1931

